


What Child is This?

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: When Happily Ever After Fails Universe [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Holidays, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-16
Updated: 2011-12-16
Packaged: 2017-10-27 09:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her parents didn’t care about her at all.  They just wanted to show the world that she was pretty, perfect, and most importantly normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Child is This?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the When Happily Ever After Fails universe. I usually don’t write Elizabeth as the bad guy but it fits for this universe so I went with it.

“Knock, knock.” Erin tapped on Emily’s bedroom door.

“Come in.” she was still on the phone but wrapping it up. “I’ll see you in first period. Could you bring me one of those strawberry breakfast bars? I promise to buy you a whole box when we go to the supermarket next week. You are the absolute best. Goodnight, Sam.”

She hung up the phone and looked at her Aunt. She’d known Erin her entire life and been in her care for almost a decade. Emily knew all her faces and body language by heart. She didn’t know this face at all.

It looked a little concerned, kind of pissed off, and slightly resigned. Her blue eyes were darker than usual so Emily was sure she was upset. It was probably better to gauge the situation before apologizing for anything. She learned a long time ago never to walk into trouble.

“What's the matter?” Emily patted her bed so she would sit.

Erin smiled a little, which looked as if it pained her, and sat down.

“I had a conversation with your father this evening.” She said.

“Is everything alright?” Emily asked.

Her tone was neutral. She spoke to him last on Thanksgiving. Before that it was her birthday, which was in October. When he called on her birthday she hadn't heard from him since that one day they visited her in the hospital after the attack. Her mother and father stayed for a half hour.

The conversation was stilted and uncomfortable. Emily asked them to leave. They did, and never came back. Elizabeth said she had engagements in Salem that she couldn’t cancel. It was probably for the best.

“Well, your parents think it might be really nice for you to fly to DC and spend Christmas with them. Your father called to tell me.”

“Tell you? Don’t you mean ask you?”

“Well…”

“I'm not going to DC.” Emily shook her head.

“Emily, I think…”

“I can't go to DC for Christmas. Christmas has always been about us. We have waffles and those ridiculous fatty sausages. We curl up with pajamas, coffee, watch _Ebbie_ and make fun of Susan Lucci’s ridiculous dramatic acting. We have Cornish hens for dinner and sing carols all day long. It’s our day, Aunt Erin.”

She wasn’t wrong. Christmas Eve and day were the two days of the year where work was absolutely, positively not allowed. Erin never intended to have rituals with Emily but this would be their tenth Christmas together. Not once in the last decade had Gregory or Elizabeth come to visit their daughter in Oregon or asked her to be with them for the holiday.

The first couple of years, back when Emily cared to ask, Erin made up elaborate excuses. She was never sure if the little girl believed them. Just when Erin couldn’t lie anymore, Emily stopped asking. It was the two of them and that was good enough for her. That’s what Emily always said. It was good enough for Erin as well.

“They really miss you.” Erin said. Her stomach lurched when she said it because she had no idea if it were true. Shock was the only emotion Erin felt when her brother called and said he and his wife wanted to do this.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Emily…”

“I'm not a little kid anymore…you can stop making excuses for them. I love you for it but I'm not going to DC.”

“They're your parents, Emily.”

“Try telling them that!” she exclaimed.

“Inside voice please.” Erin replied.

Emily sighed, crossing her arms.

“I refuse to leave you alone to spend Christmas with them. Why don’t you just come with, Aunt Erin? I think that’s a bearable solution. Since neither one of us want to we can just do it together. Plus, if you're in DC you can see Dave Rossi.”

Erin really hadn't thought about Dave. Since she called him again after Emily’s birthday they were now speaking once a week. The conversations were getting deeper, longer, and sometimes sexy. She missed him so much that Erin found herself quivering at the most inappropriate times, like in the grocery store or during a staff meeting. They’d also discussed emailing each other as well but it hadn't happened yet.

The holidays were a busy time though; she was sure he had plans. But they would be there about a week so that could give them at least one day together. If she called him now they could plan for it. One day might hurt more than it helped but Erin wasn’t willing to give it up because of that.

“Christmas is about love, family, and of course presents.” Emily smiled. “I am not, and will not, ever, ever spend Christmas without you.”

“Alright.” Erin nodded.

Though she would rather saw her arm off than spend Christmas with her brother and sister-in-law, Emily had spoken. It would break Erin’s heart to be separated from her on the holiday too. She would've sucked it up though because she never wanted to be the cause of Emily having a negative view of her parents. Elizabeth and Gregory could do that all by themselves. With this plan she and Emily could be together, Erin might see Dave, and the Prentisses could have their daughter for the holiday. She was still trying to figure out if that was what they truly wanted.

“I’ll call your father in the morning.” Erin said. “We’ll go together.”

“And we need to be back by the 30th.” Emily replied. “They're having the all ages party at the Community Center on New Year’s Eve and a bunch of us are going. Ian’s gonna be playing bass with the band they hired.”

“OK, so we’ll fly out from the 23rd to the 30th.”

“A whole week?” the teenager was mortified. This was going to be worse than when Aunt Erin sent her to summer camp in the woods for a month when she was 12.

“You're going to do great; I'm positive.” Erin leaned to kiss her cheek. “Get some sleep, OK?”

“OK. I love you.”

“I love you too, Emily. Sweet dreams.”

“Thanks.” Emily managed a smile though she wasn’t feeling very good about this. Her parents never wanted to see her. Why were they changing their minds all of a sudden? Call Emily a skeptic but she doubted that this was about anything beneficial to her.

***

It took almost ninety minutes the next night for Emily to drum up the courage to make the call. Then she dialed nine digits at least four times, hanging up before the call was complete. Finally, she dialed all ten digits and listened. It rang twice before he answered.

“Hello.”

“Hi, it’s Emily.”

“I knew that this time.” Jason replied.

“How did you know that?” she asked.

“The last time you called I put your phone number into my cell phone. I wasn’t sure if you would call back.”

“I wasn’t so sure either.”

“Are you alright?” Jason asked.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“How's school?”

“It’s boring as always but I go and do all of my assignments. Aunt Erin and I have a deal. If I maintain my A-B average and participate in things, I’ll get a car for my 16th birthday.”

“That sounds like a good deal.” Jason replied.

“It is. I already have my eye on a couple of nice ones for when the time comes. Ian is trying to convince me to get a souped up can but that’s not really my thing. He did a lot of work on his Buick.”

“And Ian is still not your boyfriend?” Jason asked.

“That’s right.” she said. “He's been there for me through all of this and I care about him. I just need to be free, you know.”

“Are you still seeing your doctor?”

“Her name is Doctor Rachel and yes I am. I go every Wednesday at 3:30. Aunt Erin thinks it’s a good idea to do it for at least a year. I don't object to that. Despite the horrible thing that happened to me this summer there are other things to talk about in there. It’s getting a little easier to open up. That only took four months.”

“I'm glad its happening.” Jason said. “Sometimes it’s difficult but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the journey anyway.”

“I know what you mean. Um, I called to ask you something Agent Gideon.”

“You can call me Jason.”

“What? You said I had to call you Agent Gideon.”

“We’re becoming friends now…I think Jason will be alright. If you're more comfortable with Agent Gideon though, then by all means…”

“No, I like Jason.”

“And I like seeing you smile.” Jason replied.

“You can't see me.”

“I'm a profiler; I made an educated guess. What did you want to ask me?”

“My parents want me to come to DC and spend Christmas with them.” Emily said. “I would prefer not to but Aunt Erin thinks it will be good for all of us. If I have to do it though I at least want something to look forward to. Do you think we could maybe see each other while I'm there? We could have lunch or something. This isn’t a trick.”

“I don’t think it’s a trick, Emily. I’d love to see you but…”

Emily didn’t want to be rejected so she just took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever was coming next.

“I have the opportunity to spend Christmas with my son this year. I’ll actually be out of town from the 23rd to the 26th.”

“You have a son?” Emily asked.

“Yes, his name is Stephen. He’s a sophomore at Columbia University.”

“Wow, that’s pretty awesome. Wait a minute…you're Jewish Jason. You don’t celebrate Christmas.”

“My son celebrates.” He replied. “After his mother passed away, her parents took primary custody of him and raised him in their faith. We don’t see each other often so I was happy for this opportunity. I'm so sorry, Emily.”

“It’s OK; that’s something very important to you. I'm actually going to be in town until the 30th. If you have time when you get back, maybe we could do it then.”

“That sounds great. I’ll be back on the morning of the 26th. We could do lunch later in the afternoon if it’s alright with your parents.”

“I'm sure Aunt Erin won't mind.” Emily corrected.

“Oh, Erin is coming to DC as well?” Jason asked.

“I told her I wasn’t going without her. I haven’t spent a Christmas with my parents since I was five. I don't know what they want but I don’t plan to be there without backup.”

“You want to trust but verify.”

“What does that mean?”

“We’ll talk about it when I see you. In fact, I should probably go now.”

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your important stuff.” Emily said.

“Stop it. You’re not doing that; I told you that already. I've meant it every time I said it.”

“Do you promise, Jason?”

“I promise Katya…I cross my heart.”

Emily couldn’t help but smile. When he called her Katya it made her heart skip a beat. She knew he would never feel the same way about her that she felt about him but that name just did something to her. No one had ever given her a special name before. She was Em to a lot of her friends and Ian called her baby sometimes. Aunt Erin called her sweetheart and occasionally her parents did the same.

But Katya was just for the two of them. She went to the library and, with Mrs. Clemmons’ help, found that Old Russian folktale. It was about a king so impressed with a clever little girl that he moved her into his castle and married her as soon as she was old enough. Jason probably wasn’t going to marry her as soon as she was old enough but it was a sweet fantasy. And the story just made the name mean even more.

“OK.” She said. “Goodnight, Jason.”

“Goodnight. I’ll see you on the 26th.”

***

It had been the most uncomfortable three days of Emily’s life. To start, it was clear that her parents weren't thrilled that Erin joined her. Emily found out soon enough why. The Prentisses had no intention of a quiet, family holiday in their Watergate East condo. They were having a Christmas party with at least 40 guests.

They were using it as an excuse to show off their lovely daughter. _See, just look at how she sparkles. She's not at all damaged from what happened this summer. Of course we’re never going to say out loud what happened because as long as we don’t, it didn’t really happen you see. Look at that dazzling smile. She’s going to be amazing when she grows up_.

Emily wanted desperately to escape. She kept trying to get her hands on enough liquor to do so but Aunt Erin cut her off at two glasses of wine. She also did her best to shelter Emily but Elizabeth was in full ‘proud mother’ mode. Emily was mortified by the entire display.

She couldn’t bring herself to be disrespectful and embarrass her parents no matter how much rage was simmering right under the surface. Later she called Sam on the phone and cried her eyes out. She knew it was a trap. Her parents didn’t care about her at all. They just wanted to show the world that she was pretty, perfect, and most importantly normal.

“Em?” Erin poked her head in the room around 11:00. The party had been over for about two hours.

“Come in.” Emily wiped the tears from her eyes but they were back in a few minutes. Erin put the cup of tea on the nightstand, enveloping her niece in her arms.

“I'm so sorry, sweetheart. They dropped this on me too. I thought they had a family holiday planned.”

“It was fuckin awful.” Emily tried not to sob but she had to let it out. She didn’t even care about dropping F bombs, which she never did around her Aunt. “Why would they do something like this?”

“I don't know but I plan to talk to your father about it. I don’t know if I’ll get a straight answer but I’ll try.” She stroked her raven hair. “I'm so, so sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything. I'm sorry I made you come here at all. We should've said no. I want to go home.”

“We’re going home soon. I know you didn’t have the best evening but I want you relax and drink your tea. You should take some deep breaths, turn the lights down, light some candles, and center yourself.”

“That yoga stuff really works?” Emily pulled away from her Aunt. When she wiped her eyes this time, the tears didn't return.

“I've been doing it since September and my blood pressure and cholesterol are lower. I don’t get headaches as often and my backaches have all but disappeared. I'm stronger and more flexible as well.”

“Agent Rossi will like that part.” Emily managed a grin despite how she was feeling.

“Don’t be a bad girl.” Erin pinched her nose. “Relax for a little while. Tonight sucked but it'll be alright. And tomorrow you'll see Jason. I know that’s something to smile about.”

Emily knew that Erin didn’t know what she truly felt for Jason. But her Aunt knew that she was so grateful that he saved her life and kept in touch. That was enough for now. She nodded, giving Erin another hug and kiss.

“Thanks, Aunt Erin.”

“You're welcome.” she handed her a gift wrapped box. “Let’s open one more gift.”

Emily smiled, tearing the paper off. She laughed when she saw the Magic 8 Ball box. Emily always loved them but was only able to find the keychain-sized one. Opening the box, she pulled out the 8 ball and shook it.

“Will Aunt Erin and I survive this trip unscathed?” she asked, turning the ball upside down. Erin looked at the answer.

“Cannot predict now.” she read. “Why does that not surprise me?”

***

Emily grabbed her messenger bag and headed for the door. Her mother walked out of the study.

“Where are you going, Emily?”

Erin, who was sitting in the living room, looked up from _Vanity Fair_ when she heard the question.

“I'm going to meet my friend.” She replied.

“Your friend?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you had any friends in DC.”

“I do; I’ll be back.” Emily grabbed the doorknob.

“Wait a minute. Who is this friend Emily? I don’t know anything about...”

“Aunt Erin said it was alright. I have to go Mother; I don’t want to be late.”

“But Emily…”

“Aunt Erin!”

Erin came into the foyer and looked at her niece. Then she looked at her sister-in-law.

“Emily is going to have lunch with Jason Gideon, Elizabeth. They made the plans when he found out she was coming to town for the holiday. She’s been looking forward to it for weeks. I said it would be fine.”

“Jason Gideon? Isn’t he a much older man?” Elizabeth asked.

“He's the man who helped saved my life, Mother. You know…when I was kidnapped and raped.”

“Emily, stop.” Erin said.

“Go, Emily.” Her mother sighed. “If it means that much to you, just go.”

Rolling her eyes, Emily walked out of the condo. Erin went into the kitchen behind Elizabeth.

“I was hoping that Emily and I would spend some time together today.” She said. “I had no idea she made plans during her trip.”

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal.” Erin replied. “She couldn’t wait to see him.”

“It is a big deal, Erin.”

Erin just sighed and left the room. She wasn’t going to argue with her right now. The women never got along. Elizabeth could be unbearable and while Erin surely had her faults, she didn’t have the strength for a grudge match. She was going to spend her evening with David. Letting her sister-in-law ruin that would be ridiculous.

***

“Hey!”

Emily jumped out of the cab and rushed straight into Jason’s arms. She held tight to him, inhaling the scent of Drakkar Noir, citrus, and tea leaves. She knew that for the rest of her life whenever she smelled those things, Jason Gideon would come to mind. It was a good feeling.

“Hello, hello.” He said, holding her. Jason kissed the top of her head. “I hope you brought your appetite with you.”

“Yes I did.”

“Well c'mon.”

Emily couldn’t help but smile as they walked into the Georgetown Diner. Jason’s arm was around her shoulder and she felt loved and protected. Almost overwhelmed, Emily felt as if Jason would do anything for her. She didn’t feel that way about her parents but did about a man she knew less than a year. Her shrink would love getting her hands on that.

000

“I've totally hogged the conversation.” Emily laughed. “I'm so sorry but when I get on a roll I can't stop. Ian makes fun of me all the time. So does Hotch now that I think about it.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Jason shook his head as he ate his meatloaf. “I'm sorry the trip isn’t what you expected.”

“The sad part is that its worse. I knew it would be unbearable. But for them to just parade me around like that…it made me sick, Jason. They just wanted all those people to see that I wasn’t damaged and they still wanted to claim me as their child.”

“I'm sure it felt that way.”

“It felt that way because it was that way. Did you know I haven’t spent a Christmas with them since I was five years old? They always had something better to do I guess. They were skiing in Aspen, sailing in Sydney, or hobnobbing in Helsinki. Now all of a sudden they wanted me.

“My kidnapping was an international story, Jason. All of their friends knew of my harrowing ordeal.” Emily said the last two words the way a television narrator would have. “I haven’t spoken to my mother since I was in the hospital…she even forgot to call on my birthday. My father made an excuse for her of course.” She sighed, trying to brush aside the sour feelings. “Forget it. Just tell me about Christmas with Stephen.”

“I don’t want to bore you.” Jason replied.

“You could never bore me.” she shook her head. “I don't know when I’ll see you again. Tell me anything, I just want to talk.”

“I bought you a little gift. I wasn’t really sure if I should but when I saw it…”

“Anything is wonderful.” That definitely perked Emily up.

Jason handed her the small box. Emily opened it and looked at the silver bracelet. There were three shiny, silvery white stones in the middle. The chain was made of small links.

“This is so beautiful; what is it?”

“Its moonstone.” Jason said. “I don’t necessarily believe everything I heard but it is the ancient stone of love, healing, and protection. It’s also good for meditation, growth, and inner strength. This is especially so in young women. The woman who sold it to me also said it was the ancient birthstone of the month of October.”

“I was born in October.” Emily replied.

“I know that.” He clucked her under the chin and then apologized. It just felt like such a natural move. He would have to remind himself not to do that.

“It’s OK. Thank you so much, Jason.”

“You're very welcome.”

Emily took it out of the box and put it on her wrist. After struggling with the clasp, he took it from her hands and put it on. She had no intention of ever taking it off.

“I really, really love it. Now please, tell me all about Christmas in New York.”

“You didn’t forget about that, huh?” He asked.

“Nope.” She grinned as she shook her head. “C'mon, I told you some of my miserable family experience. It’s only fair that you share now. Except I hope yours is wonderful so I can smile.”

***

You're distracted.”

Dave put his arms around Erin from behind. He couldn’t help but nuzzle her neck, relishing in the smell of Estee Lauder’s Pleasures. This perfume was new to him. Back when he and Erin were dating the first time, Calvin Klein’s Obsession was her favorite.

To this day when he smelled it Dave thought of her. But he wouldn’t complain about Pleasures. It was soft, powdery, and light…it fit her skin perfectly. He could get used to smelling it on his sheets.

“Elizabeth is up to something.” She said.

“What are you thinking?’

“I don't know.” Erin shrugged. “I know that I've got a knot in my stomach the size of Nebraska. I'm just waiting for this anvil to drop on my head. I haven’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since we got here. That shit she pulled yesterday was reprehensible, David. And she has my brother by the balls…she has for almost a quarter century.”

“I always thought Gregory was a good guy.” Dave said.

“He's a wonderful man. I just know that I’ll never win a fight between Elizabeth and I. As far as he’s concerned, she runs the show. Sometimes I feel like he's given up on everything. They abandoned Emily a decade ago. I mean what the hell is that? Then they put her in a pretty dress to parade her around so no one thinks she’s damaged.”

“While I hate that neither you nor Emily had a merry Christmas, I’m so glad you're here. I missed you so much.”

“You’ve mentioned that a few times.” Smiling, Erin turned in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. When Erin ran her fingers through his hair, Dave moaned.

“I don’t want you thinking that I'm only after one thing, baby.” He whispered.

“But…?” she teased his lips with her tongue.

“I really need to take off all of your clothes. I need to do it slowly, Erin. Then I want to listen to you moan while I do all kinds of sexy things to your naked body with my lips.”

“Mmm, damn.” Erin hugged him close. She wanted to get back soon, be there for Emily, but her knees were weak just thinking about being naked with Dave. And she knew Emily would be upset if she suspected Erin cut her visit with Dave short because of her. “I think a woman would be crazy to turn that offer down.”

“Then say yes.” He whispered. “I want to hear you tell me yes.”

“Yes.”

Dave loved the way she bit her lip when she said it. He knew they didn’t have much time as he led her upstairs to the bedroom. He would make the most of it, every second of it. Christmas may have been over but Dave wanted to unwrap and enjoy his present.

***

“Oh my God, yes; there's coffee!”

Emily walked into the kitchen the next morning. She deeply inhaled the aroma of expensive coffee. This was finally something she and her parents could agree on.

“Aren't you a bit young for coffee?” Elizabeth asked taking off her glasses. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her own cup. There were work files in front of her.

“I don’t think so. Aunt Erin let me drink it when I started high school. We totally have our _Gilmore Girls_ moments. We love that show; it’s our new favorite. Have you ever seen it?”

“No.”

Emily shrugged, going in a search of a mug. She had no idea where anything was in the kitchen but she wasn’t going to ask for help. The less she had to talk to Elizabeth, the better. She looked in three cabinets before finding them. Emily grabbed the biggest one in there and took the coffee pot from the machine.

“That’s a very pretty bracelet, Emily. Where did you get it?”

“Jason bought it for me.” she replied. “Its moonstone.”

“The FBI agent you saw yesterday?” Elizabeth asked. “You call him Jason?”

“He said it was OK, Mother. We’re friends.”

“He’s probably 30 years older than you. You cannot be friends with a man that age.”

Before Emily could answer, Erin came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. She managed a cordial good morning for Elizabeth.

“Oh my God, coffee.” She inhaled.

“That’s the same thing I said.” Emily smiled.

“Of course you did.” Erin kissed her temple. “Good morning you.”

“Good morning.” Emily opened the refrigerator. “There's no creamer in here. Mother, there's no creamer.”

“We don’t use creamer.” Elizabeth replied. “There's liquid Coffee Mate on the second shelf.”

“Eww, Coffee Mate.” She crinkled her nose.

“Em, we’ll make due.” Erin replied. “We’re guests here, remember?”

“How could I forget?” the teenager muttered.

“I was wondering if you had plans today, Emily.” Her mother said. “I was hoping we could finally spend a little quality time together.”

“Well Aunt Erin and I were going to the Chevy Chase Mall. I hear their Gap is like one of the biggest in the country.”

“Perhaps just you and I should go. I'm sure your Aunt could find something else to do this afternoon. Having a little mother-daughter time would be great.”

“I don't know.” Emily sounded unsure. “I would rather go with Aunt Erin, if you don’t mind. Maybe you and I can do something tomorrow.”

“I do mind.” Elizabeth stood. “Your father and I invited you here for us to spend time together as a family. We didn’t invite your Aunt Erin.”

“A family, are you serious?” Emily smirked. “You invited me here so you could show me off to all of your country club friends. You didn’t want them thinking the stories they read in the tabloids about me being messed up were true.”

“Em…”

“No, Aunt Erin, I want to speak my mind. Ten Christmases, Mother; I haven’t seen you guys in ten Christmases. Now you decide you want family time and I'm supposed to jump for joy. That’s the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.”

“Don’t you talk to me in that tone. I am your mother.”

“If you ever find the free time to do the work that comes with it then you'll get the respect.”

“Emily, that’s enough.” Erin admonished her.

Giving up, Emily just grabbed her coffee cup and went to her room. Both Erin and Elizabeth heard the door close. Erin sighed.

“I'm sorry, Elizabeth. Things have been up, down, and all around since summer. I'm sure she didn’t mean to get so upset. I didn’t raise Emily to be disrespectful.”

“You're sorry?” Elizabeth’s question was incredulous.

“Of course I'm sorry. Emily is going through a lot right now.”

Gregory came downstairs for his morning coffee. It didn’t take more than a few seconds to see he was walking in at the absolute wrong time. Elizabeth was just launching into her diatribe. He wanted to be far away when it took place. He didn’t like being between his sister and his wife.

Both were fierce and had sharp claws when need be. He didn’t want to hurt Erin; he knew how much she sacrificed to be there for Emily. But he didn’t have the strength to go against Elizabeth, who now seemed dead set on getting what she wanted. Turning and walking out now wouldn’t look good so he stayed.

“Gregory and I had a long discussion about it before we invited Emily out for Christmas. We've decided its time for her to come and live with us in DC. While we’re very appreciative of what you’ve done Erin, she's our daughter and needs to be here.”

For a moment Erin was stunned into silence. After a deep breath, her voice came back.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She said.

“I don’t mean to be rude but what you think isn’t essential.” Elizabeth replied. “Emily will move into this condo. She’ll go to school here. She’s old enough to take care of herself now.”

“Take care of herself? So you want her to move to a town where she has no friends and no support system so she can look after herself? Elizabeth, you really think this is a good idea?” she looked at her brother. “Gregory?”

“Erin, we are so appreciative of everything you’ve done but…”

“Oh cut the bullshit.” Erin didn’t want to hear it and keeping the typical Prentiss propriety wasn’t happening. “I raised Emily and now that you think all of the hard work is done you want to swoop down and take her back. Well the answer is no.”

“You have absolutely no right to say no. You are not her mother.” Elizabeth said. “She was kidnapped and soiled by some psychopath while you were supposedly doing all of your hard work.”

“You go to hell!” Erin spat. She used all of her strength not to slap Elizabeth into next week. “Emily didn’t come from my womb that may be true, but that girl is my child. I was there for every booboo, every nightmare, every school play and chaperoned trip. I proofread all the book reports and double checked all the math homework. I taught her to ride a bike and all of Paul Simon’s songs.

“Do you know her favorite color, Elizabeth? What about her favorite song, book, or food? C'mon, you're her mother right…do you know? What is her teddy bear’s name and who’s her best friend? You know nothing about her, absolutely nothing, and you never have. Over my dead body will you take her from where she's healthy and happy.”

“It’s not my fault your husband left you and you never had children of your own.” Elizabeth said.

“Dammit, Liz,” Gregory admonished. “Was that really necessary?”

“Its fine, Greg.” Erin held up her hand. “Perhaps I never had children of my own but if I did you wouldn’t have been able to drop yours at my feet. But you know what…Emily is the best thing that ever happened to me.

“She changed my life, as a child is supposed to. Her care is my top priority and I refuse to let you turn her into a sideshow. You do what you think you need to, Elizabeth, but I'm taking Emily home. This farce is over.”

Emily came out into the kitchen. She looked at her parents and then looked at her Aunt.

“I want to go home now, Aunt Erin.”

“We’re going to do that. Go and get dressed, sweetheart. Pack your bags too.”

“Emily…” her father called her and she turned to look at him. She just sighed and kept walking. “Erin, I just want to have a relationship with my child.”

“That’s a decision for her to make. She's not a five year old girl anymore, Gregory. She hasn’t been for a very long time. It’s not her responsibility to be the perfect daughter to people she barely knows. And then you invite her out here and show her off to your friends. Did you even notice how miserable she was? Did you care? We’re leaving…it’s for the best.”

Erin went upstairs to dress and pack her suitcase. When Emily came out of the room, she just went to stand in the foyer with her suitcase. She had no desire to speak to either one of them. This was such a joke. It was a serious joke but the sad kind.

No one was laughing about any of this, least of all Emily. In a few minutes, Erin returned with her suitcase. She went to the hall closet and grabbed their coats. Then she hugged her brother, kissing his cheek.

“I love you, Gregory.”

“I love you too.” he said, holding her a little tighter.

“Goodbye Daddy.”

“Goodbye sweetheart.” He hugged Emily too; barely wanting to let her go.

“Goodbye Mother.”

Elizabeth didn’t answer and Emily didn’t wait. She and Erin just left, going downstairs to hail a cab.

“I need to call David. I need to let him know that we’re leaving.”

“I'm so sorry, Aunt Erin. This was the biggest mistake ever but I know how happy you were to be with Dave.”

“Its alright.” Erin caressed her face. “We’re going to be OK and I'm so sorry that you didn’t have a Merry Christmas.”

“We’ll do our own Christmas when we get home.” Emily replied.

She tried to smile when she said it but didn’t feel much better. Emily felt horrible for dragging her Aunt into that quagmire. They should've just said no and moved on. She wasn’t a little girl; they couldn’t force her to do something that she didn’t want to. Why were they even doing this after all this time? Emily couldn’t pretend to understand but she didn’t want any parts of it.

Erin took a deep breath as she listened to Dave’s phone ring. She felt as if she was about to crumble; fracture in a thousand pieces. Please answer the phone, she prayed, I don’t want to leave a voicemail.

“Hello.”

“Hey, it’s me. I'm calling to say goodbye; Emily and I are heading to the airport.”

“What? What's going on?”

“It’s an incredibly long story and I can't go into it right now. I know we’re supposed to have a few more days but…”

“Please don’t go, OK?” Dave truly hoped he didn’t sound as frantic as he felt. “You two get into a cab and drive to the King George Hotel. Go to the hotel and I’ll meet you there. I'm leaving Quantico right now.”

“David, what are you talking about?” Erin asked.

“Just trust me. I’ll meet you and Emily in the lobby of the King George Hotel. I’ll be there in about 45 minutes. Will you do it?”

“Alright; we’ll be there.” Erin hung up the phone and looked at her niece. “David wants us to meet him at the King George Hotel. Do you mind taking a detour before we leave?”

“No.” Emily shook her head.

“OK, c'mon sweetie.”

They left the lobby of the Watergate East Condos. The doorman hailed them a cab, putting their suitcases in the trunk. Erin and Emily climbed into the backseat.

“The King George Hotel please.” Erin said.

“Yes ma'am.”

She put her arm around Emily’s shoulder, pulling her close. Dammit, she had been through enough and didn’t need this.

“You didn't need to hear any of that.” Erin said.

“I'm not a kid anymore, Aunt Erin. I know I'm not a grownup yet but I can handle things. I'm OK.”

“Are you sure?”

Emily wasn’t sure but she said yes anyway. She would talk more about it with Doctor Rachel and surely with Jason.

“Did you mean what you said to my mother?” she asked.

“Which part?” Erin asked.

Honestly, most of the conversation was hazy. She snapped when Elizabeth said what she said, and nearly a quarter of a century of anger and frustration was unleashed. Erin prided herself on being proper and in control.

Her mother and father taught her and her brother well. She was a Prentiss woman first above all…Prentiss women rarely lost control. When she felt Emily was being taken away from her, all of that went out the window. She was a lioness, a female grizzly, and no one threatened her cub.

“Did you mean the part about my being your child and no one taking me away?”

“Absolutely.” Erin nodded. “We’re in this together, Emily. I will always love you and have your back. The time will come for you to leave. I'm raising you to prepare both of us for that. But I'm not going to let anyone take you. I almost lost you once…never again.”

“But you got saddled with me?” Emily reasoned. “You never got a chance to remarry and start your own family because of me. That’s my fault.”

“No it isn’t.” Erin shook her head. “Emily, please don’t believe that; it’s not true. I promise that we’ll talk about this. Now is probably not a good time. We’re at the hotel.”

The cab pulled up to the cub. The driver got out, took their bags from the trunk, and opened the door. Erin gave him $15 and then they walked into the hotel. Emily was mesmerized.

“Whoa, this place is awesome.” She said.

“This is just the lobby. It’s a beautiful hotel.”

“Is there anywhere for us to eat…I'm starving?”

Erin just realized that they hadn't eaten breakfast. Hell, she’d only had a quarter cup of coffee and if she didn’t have a cigarette right now she would surely come out of her skin.

“I forgot we didn’t have breakfast. OK, you relax for a few minutes, I need a cigarette, and when David arrives we’ll have breakfast.”

“There's a coffee shop over there.” Emily said. “Can I just get a scone or something?”

“Alright, but please be careful.”

“I will be.” She smiled as she and her Aunt parted ways.

Erin walked herself and her suitcase into the lounge. Sitting at the bar, she pulled the Marlboro Milds from her purse and lit one. The bartender put a napkin and ashtray in front of her.

“A martini would be amazing but I need caffeine. I’ll just have a black coffee.”

“Sure.”

She wanted to fall face first into the counter. While Erin expected this trip to be a chore, she never expected anything like this. She was mortified by the idea of Elizabeth and Gregory taking Emily back. They didn’t know anything about her or raising a teenager. The whole idea was preposterous.

They probably felt it would be easy since she was 15 now. If they only knew…now was when she needed the most guidance and support. It was doubly so after being the victim of a horrific crime. Her mother and father wanting her back was laugh-worthy. It would be hard and mirthless but still be a laugh.

Deeply inhaling her cigarette, Erin let the mentholated poison course through her veins. At home she was used to three cigarettes a day; morning, afternoon, and evening. Rarely did she deviate from the norm. Erin Strauss was a creature of habit. The four days she’d been in DC Erin had gone through nearly a pack and a half.

That was ridiculous. She wasn’t going to lose her family. She and Emily were together through thick and thin. She thought of their home with all the school pictures on the mantelpiece and the family pictures of them on the walls. She’d taken Emily to Disney World, twice, and Mexico because she was fluent in Spanish.

Erin even took Emily to Jordan where she had friends because the girl loved the Middle East and was also fluent in Arabic. That was hard to keep up in her part of the world now but Emily took to languages like a fish to water. She would be studying for her permit test in the spring and then Erin would teach her to drive. Elizabeth and Gregory hadn't even been check parents.

All the school clothes, trips, presents, anything that Emily wanted or needed…it was Erin’s responsibility. She didn’t mind the responsibility. For her brother and sister-in-law to think they could now sweep in and take over the show…fuck them. What she really needed to do was send them a bill.

Erin dropped sugar cubes in her coffee cup, blew on it, and sipped it. A part of her didn’t want to leave but it was time to go home. This wasn’t home anymore; this trip made that abundantly clear.

“Hey.” Dave walked into the lounge.

“Hi.”

She tilted her chin up as he leaned down to kiss her. Dave liked it so much he did it twice. Then he caressed her face.

“When I asked Emily what happened, she said all hell had broken loose.” He said. “Do you care to elaborate?”

“Not if you don’t want me to burst into tears and punch things. It was really bad and we need to get out of here.”

“No, you needed to get out of there. I don’t mean to sound demanding but I get three more days and I don’t want to lose them, Erin.”

“Where will we go?” She hated sounded so helpless but was at the end of her rope. It wasn’t about the money, they could stay somewhere. But it was the holidays and surely hotels were booked to the hilt with tourists and visitors.

“Finish your coffee, baby. Smoke your cigarette, take a deep breath, relax, and let me take care of things.”

Erin wasn’t really sure she wanted to do that. Of course she didn’t have the strength for much else at the moment. She needed to finish this up and get back out there to Emily. She didn’t want her alone for too long.

***

“Phillip, I truly appreciate you working with me on such short notice.” Dave shook the manager’s hand.

“You're a loyal customer, Agent Rossi, and your business is always appreciated.”

“Is the suite available?”

“The Charlotte of Mecklenburg Suite is available. Unfortunately, I'm not able to give you more than a 10% discount due to the busy time of year. I wish I could be more helpful.”

“You're being extremely helpful, and I understand.” Dave nodded. “I wouldn’t want you going in the hole just for me.”

Erin and Emily stood there as the two men talked. They didn’t quite know what was going on but the conversation intrigued them.

“Of course.” Phillip nodded as well. “So we’ll be able to reserve the suite for the next four days and three nights at the discounted price of $1200.”

“Twelve hundred…” Erin covered Emily’s mouth as she smiled at the manager.

As Dave walked over to the register, Emily and Erin followed.

“I want these ladies to have whatever their hearts desire, Phillip. They'll have room service, movies, massages, anything. The next four days will be paradise for them and I'm depending on you to make that happen.”

“David, this is too much.” Erin whispered.

Despite her aversion to public displays of affection, Dave turned, kissed her lips softly, and turned back to Phillip. “Everything goes on my tab…don’t bother them about anything.”

“Yes sir.”

Phillip gave them two key cards, asking if they needed help with their bags. Erin said no before making her way to the elevator. Both she and Emily only had pull suitcases, and Emily carried a small duffle as well. When the elevators doors closed, Erin looked at him.

“I'm upset with you.” she said in a low tone.

“Stop it.” Dave slipped his hand in hers, lacing their fingers.

“Well she might be upset with you, but you're my new favorite person, Agent Rossi.” Emily said.

That made Dave smile, and Erin too. Emily only got more excited when she saw the room. There was a huge sitting area with a pullout couch, a kitchenette, and a work area with a desk. The furniture was beautifully arranged and looked expensive. She rushed into the bedroom and literally squealed.

“Oh my God, oh my God, Aunt Erin, this is so awesome! It has a balcony and everything!”

Emily loved the queen sized bed, the lounger, and the big TV. It was childish but she couldn’t help herself so she jumped on the bed. It was firm and yet squishy…it was perfect. She’d been in her fair share of good hotels, Aunt Erin never went cheap when they traveled, but the Charlotte of Mecklenburg suite was the ultimate. This was Emily’s first real experience with unabashed luxury...and she loved it.

“David, this is too much and…”

He wrapped his arms around her, quieting her protests with kisses. Dave wasn’t ready to let go. He didn’t quite know how to say the words so he expressed it the best way he could. Erin and Emily would be back in Cambridge soon enough. He wanted every moment of his precious little time.

“Don’t go.” He managed to whisper, still holding tight to her.

“Well I can't now. Emily would kill me if we had to give up this suite.”

“She sure would.” Dave grinned.

“We need to have some breakfast. Everything happened so fast this morning we didn’t have a chance to do anything. We were still in pajamas, I didn’t have coffee…it was a mess. So we need breakfast first and then you and I can talk.”

“Do you and Emily have plans today?”

“We were going to take the train out to Chevy Chase and go to the mall. She’s been raving about The Gap since before we left home. Apparently it’s the fourth biggest store in the country.”

“Alright.” Dave nodded. “I have a few pressing things back at Quantico so I should probably get back there for a while.”

“I'm so sorry for…”

“Stop it Erin, I mean it. You didn’t intend for any of this to happen and I know that. Order breakfast, relax, shop, and have fun. I’ll be back at seven for dinner if that’s alright.”

“Its alright.” Erin nodded, giving up her protest for now. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.

Emily walked out of the bedroom to tell them how awesome it was. The scene stopped both her feet and her mouth. It was rare that she saw her Aunt in an intimate embrace. She remembered Evan Davenport. She was 12 years old but even that at age she knew a key element was missing in that relationship.

Erin didn’t glow. She seemed happy with him and wasn’t at all reluctant to become a stepmother to his nine year old twins. But Emily was positive she never once glowed with Evan like she did in Dave Rossi’s arms. Wow, was that what she gave up all those years ago to take care of her? That was a big sacrifice.

“Excuse me.” Emily cleared her throat. “Are we going to have breakfast, Aunt Erin?”

“Yes we are.” She slowly pulled away from Dave. “David’s going back to Quantico and we’ll eat, shower, and relax a bit before shopping.”

“I'm going to come back later for dinner if that’s alright, Emily.” He said.

“That’s OK with me.” she smiled. “I'm gonna check out the room service menu.”

“You’ve got a friend for life.” Erin smiled too as Emily went back into the bedroom.

“I’ll see you both later.”

With one more kiss, Dave was gone. Erin sighed and made her way to the bedroom. Emily looked at her.

“He's in love with you.” she said in that matter of fact tone that all teenagers use. “You're definitely in love with him.”

“Have you decided what you want for breakfast?”

“Just tell me the truth, Aunt Erin.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I want to know if you're in love with Dave Rossi. He’s hot…for an older dude.”

“I care for him deeply.” Erin replied.

“You are one tough woman to get to the center of.” Emily said, shaking her head. “Now people should know where I get it from.”

***

“I have a surprise for you.” Erin came into the bedroom later that evening. Emily was curled up on the pillows reading _Bag of Bones_.

“Did Dave leave?” she looked up from her book.

“Yes. I appreciate you giving us a little alone time this evening.”

“It wasn’t a problem. We had steak and lobster for dinner…it was the least I could do.”

“Dave overindulged you.” Erin replied.

“It was to impress you I think.” Emily said grinning. “I was so willing to be his guinea pig.”

After the three of them had dinner and dessert together, Emily excused herself to the bedroom. She asked her Aunt if she could call Jordan. It wasn’t going to be virtually free as it had been at her parents’ place. Erin thought a little while was OK. She knew the best friends hadn't talked since Christmas Eve. So Emily went into the bedroom with another bowl of rainbow sherbet.

“What happened this morning?” Dave asked.

They were sitting on the couch. When he put his arm around her shoulder, Erin snuggled close. She would only have this for a few more days. It would have to tide her over until God knew when.

“The truth is that Elizabeth threatened to take my child away and I lost my mind.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“I wouldn’t.” Erin said. “I only wish this was a horrible joke.”

“What did she say?”

“She said it was time for Emily to come and live with them because she was 15 and could take care of herself. I mean, what the hell does that mean? How can a 15 year old be expected to take care of herself? For ten years I've raised her and Elizabeth actually thinks she can sweep in now and be a mother. She has no idea how to be a mother.

“I swear David, over my dead body will they take Emily from me. She…” Erin took a deep breath, placing her hand over her heart. She didn’t want to lose it again but the more it sank in, the angrier and sadder it made her. That her own brother could do that to her made it even worse.

Complicit or complacent, he should still be ashamed of himself. But putting Elizabeth above all else was nothing new for him. “She is my child, David. I never thought I would have kids. I thought I didn’t want them. Well I ended up with a child anyway and I'm not giving her up. If they want a fight I will give them one they’ll never forget.”

“I doubt they want that kind of fight.” Dave shook his head. “I'm wondering too why they would want a teenager after years of jet setting and what not. That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“Well I told them, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t happening. Emily also said forget it.”

“Emily heard all of that?”

“Unfortunately; she had no choice. She was in the bedroom right off the kitchen and that’s where the battle took place. I didn’t even see it coming. Elizabeth blindsided me. I wasn’t supposed to come, David. What the hell did she think? Was she just going to hold Emily hostage after she got off the plane?”

“Possession is still nine-tenths of the law.” Dave replied. “Do you think hiring an attorney is something to look into?”

“I have a friend who works at family court in Portland. I’ll talk to him when we get home. I don’t think it'll go that far though.”

“Elizabeth Prentiss doesn't like to lose. She also doesn’t like you very much.”

“Well there's one thing she likes even less than losing and me.” Erin replied. “There's no way in hell she’ll ever let it go public that Emily isn’t in boarding school like she tells all of their friends but was dropped at my doorstep nine years ago and I've raised her. She won't be able to color the court of public opinion on that one. Oregon is filled with mothers.”

“So true.” Dave kissed her forehead. “I can't believe they went there. I'm just glad you and Emily are alright.”

“We’re fine.” Erin nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

“I just bet.” He grinned.

“What's that grin for?”

“She should've known never to threaten a mama grizzly’s cub. That’s when the serious claws come out.”

“Damn skippy.” Erin said.

“Well Jason and I were talking this afternoon when I got back to the BAU. We thought it would be a great plan to take you ladies out for the best of DC on Friday. We’ll go to the White House, the Smithsonian, lunch, ice skating; the whole shebang. It'll be just the four of us.”

“Emily loves _The West Wing_. Visiting the White House will be a huge thrill for her.”

“That’s exactly what Jason said.” Dave replied.

“She adores him. I want to have a long talk with her about it but for right now I’ll just say that she adores him. Has Jason said anything to you?”

“I know he cares deeply for her. There’s nothing improper going on; I've known Jason Gideon since we were pups.”

“I know that, David. Emily doesn’t just open up to anyone though. I can count her trusted confidantes and friends on one hand. I've seen her open her heart to Jason. I don’t want her to be hurt.”

“Love hurts though. And Jason feels the same way, not about love but Emily being hurt. He knows that she's vulnerable but he does care about her.”

“I'm only going to say this once but I swear I’d rather have her in love with Jason than that damn Ian Doyle.”

“Be careful what you wish for, baby.” Dave laughed and kissed her. “I’ll get going now. You and Emily have had a long day.”

“Are you working tomorrow?” Erin asked.

She stood from the couch. Holding out her hands, Dave took them, and she pulled him up too. In his arms there were more passionate kisses. It was going to be all but impossible to walk away in a few days. How could they make 2400 miles work? It was killing Erin to be hopeful and realistic at the same time.

“I'm drowning in paperwork. It’s the end of the year so it all needs to be done tomorrow. I’ll make it but its not going to be pretty.”

“Will you and Jason have the energy to entertain us on the 29th?”

“Jason’s a stickler…his work is always done on time. I’ll be the one up all night. I don’t care; we’ll be here at noon no matter what.”

“OK.”

Erin walked him to the door. They shared another hug and kiss. Then she went to the bedroom to talk to Emily.

“He knew we weren't having the best vacation so he thought he would help.”

“Hello, I'm in the Charlotte of Mecklenburg suite,” Emily waved her hands around. “He helped.”

“Well here’s one more thing.”

Erin handed her the videotape and Emily smiled.

“Oh my God, this is so awesome. How did Dave know about this?”

“I told him about our Christmas ritual and how we’d have to miss it this year. He didn’t think that was right.”

“I really like him, Aunt Erin. If he's trying to get to your heart through me, I’ll have you two married by Valentine’s Day.”

“Haha.” Erin pulled one of her pigtails. “Well I guess I’ll change into my pajamas. We have to stick to the ritual.”

“OK.” Emily got up to put the movie in the VCR.

Erin was happy to see her niece smile. The second half of this year had been so hard for her. She did her best to stay strong and keep her head up. Each day they'd been in DC, Erin saw more light leave her eyes. It would be so wonderful if Emily could have a healthy, happy relationship with her parents.

Erin would never try to prevent that. But what Gregory and Elizabeth did on this trip might have ruined any chance of that. Erin would try to be hopeful while at the same time help Emily move forward. She came out of the bathroom in purple silk pajamas and climbed on the bed.

“This will be just like when I was little and climbed into your bed when there were thunderstorms.” Emily said.

“Sweetie, you did that three weeks ago.” Erin replied.

“Oh c'mon, that one was pretty bad.” She laughed.

“Yeah it was.” Erin sighed. “I have to admit, this place is pretty luxurious.”

“I know right?”

“Dave thought it would be fun if you, I, he, and Jason Gideon took over the District on Friday. How do you feel about that?”

“Do you mean like a double date?” Emily looked at her.

“I absolutely do not mean a double date.”

Emily laughed, leaning her head on Erin’s shoulder.

“I love that idea. Tomorrow we can just relax. We should get massages and manicures.”

“Alright…that sounds fun.”

They settled in and began to enjoy the movie. Just as the ghosts of Christmases past approached Ebbie, Emily looked at her Aunt again.

“Are you sure this isn’t like a double date?”

“Mmm hmm, pretty positive. You're turning my hair grey as we speak; just thought you should know that.”

“It’s all out of love, I promise.”

Laughing, Erin put her arm around Emily’s shoulder. They relaxed with one of their favorite Christmas movies. It was a little late but better late than never. Both Erin and Emily felt that so many things were better late than never.

***


End file.
